Remains identified as Aucklander Cissy Chen

DISCOVERY: Police examined the site where human bones were found in Totaravale Reserve, North Shore, Auckland.

Relevant offers

The human remains discovered in a North Shore reserve have been identified as missing Auckland woman Cissy Chen.

Police confirmed today the bones found in a drain at Totaravale Reserve on Monday last week were those of the missing woman.

Detective Inspector Bruce Scott said her death was still being treated as a homicide, but declined to comment on the cause of death. Chen, a 44-year-old accountant, disappeared after leaving her Torbay home on November 5, 2012.

Extensive police searches failed to find any trace of her at the time of her disappearance.

Police launched a homicide inquiry, Operation Waiau, two weeks after the initial searches.

Scott, who heads the inquiry, said the discovery of Chen’s body was a significant breakthrough in the investigation.

‘‘The area that Cissy’s body has been found in was well known to both Cissy and her partner,’’ he said.

Chen and her partner, Yun ‘‘Jack’’ Qing Liu, lived about 10 kilometres from the reserve and regularly walked around the neighbourhood.

Her family were understandably upset, but pleased that her body had been found, Scott said.

‘‘There’s obviously the disappointment for them that she has been confirmed as dead. They’d always hoped that something not untoward had happened to her.’’